Author: Douglas McLennan

REGIONAL THEATER BOOM

Taking advantage of the strong economy and unprecedented production support from commercial producers, regional theaters are booming across the country, presenting ever more adventurous work and strengthening ties with local audiences. “The point is that the American theater gospel is no longer being spread papally from New York. It has its own independent denominations.” – New York Times

ADVENTUROUS BUT NOT TOO ADVENTUROUS

The rhetoric of art interpretation seems to have been frozen for the past century. Pushing the edge is still valued as an ideal, but not pushing it too much. “The image reservoir of art can be plumbed without artists having to be aware of betraying their actual mission, and the mere fact that they are still individual and autonomous is exactly what makes them interesting to industry.” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

ART OF THE INGRATE

Irish actor Richard Harris surprised even those familiar with his cantankerous ways at last week’s European Film Awards. Upon receiving a lifetime achievement award, he launched into a tirade against the British film industry for overlooking his talents. “The curious thing about the actor’s weekend outburst is why he should care whether the British honour him. This, after all, is a man who constantly asserts his Irishness.” – The Telegraph (UK)

RATING ARTISTS

Who are today’s overrated artists? Underrated? “The terms can be harder to define than they might seem. Overrated according to whom? The critics? The collectors? Taste and fashion? “History sometimes has a different assessment of an artist than the market does. Sometimes it coincides, sometimes it doesn’t.” – ARTnews

NAME CHANGE

Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera House has changed its name to Goodspeed Musicals. “In its 37-year history, the Goodspeed Opera House has garnered international acclaim as a producer of musical theater, sending more than 15 shows to Broadway and beyond, including ‘Annie” and ‘Man of La Mancha’.” – Hartford Courant

THE GOOG IN RIO

It looks as though Rio will win out in the global Guggenheim sweepstakes to see who gets to host the next branch of the museum. “The museum’s most likely site is understood to be by Praça Maua, in Rio’s rundown dock area. A dramatic outcrop of rocks between the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches was initially touted but then discarded, as the Guggenheim wants such projects to regenerate urban areas.” – The Guardian

A QUESTION OF SCALE

First looks at the redesigned British Museum have focused on the clean lines and superhuman scale of the new Great Court. But the first exhibition in the new space is a diverse exploration of the human form. “’Human Image’ is perhaps an attempt to bring us down to earth again.” – The Guardian